It looks like I will be shifting gears next year--2nd/3rd/4th instead of high school

[ereks mom]

This year, my youngest is a high school senior, and I am teaching 3 other girls, grades 8 & 10, in addition to my 12th grader. There is a good possibility that when EK goes to college, the 3 other girls will be going to PS, and next year I will be teaching 2nd/3rd or 3rd/4th instead.

 

It's been quite awhile since my kids were that age, so I'm having to go back and research what's out there for the younger grades, and for some subjects, I need more input.

 

I know what I want to do for history and language arts, and I've narrowed math down to 3 choices, but I need suggestions for Reading & Phonics, Science, and Bible.

 

History - American Girls study, which will incorporate Art & Music also

 

Math - probably BJU, but considering CLE or maybe TT, depending on learning styles

 

Language Arts - CLE

 

Reading & Phonics - ?? I do not want a basal reader, but I do want to cover literary elements and figurative language systematically, and I want worksheets/workbook and projects, so... Help!

 

Science - ?? I love lapbooking/notebooking, so maybe Apologia? I also want to do experiments, so maybe R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey? Noeo? Christian Kids Explore __? Again, help!

 

Bible - ?? I want to do either a Bible survey (OT or NT or both), character development, or maybe some combination of these. Do you have suggestions for me?

Edited September 28, 2012 by ereks mom

[ereks mom]

Anyone?? I need suggestions for Reading & Phonics, Science, and Bible for grades 2-4.

[Hunter]

I've graduated 2 boys and now am tutoring LD and ESL adults that often need elementary level materials.

 

You might be interested in the Dear America series as a supplement or a cheaper replacement to American Girl.

 

Scholastic Dear America website.

 

Teacher Guide was on sale for $1 a couple weeks ago and might go on sale again.

 

You might like the Stick Figuring through the Bible. I've done pretty well just using the teacher guide 3-4 ebook for all levels. I have non writers just draw the figures.

 

I absolutely adore Spalding's Writing Road to Reading 6th edition cursive handwriting Instructions. I follow the order of instruction suggested in How to Tutor.

 

I start phonics/handwriting with How to Tutor and am experimenting with how to gradually transition to Spalding. The curriculums conflict a bit, but if I transition the phonics explanations at lesson 64, everything should be fine. And then just continue HTT as handwriting copywork and phonics reinforcement when it agrees. If you are teaching manuscript and are not going to teach cursive, you could just start with Spalding, or any other explicit phonics curriculum. I believe in cursive first, but it's tricky to accomplish, at least for me and the students I teach.

 

I tend to have some pretty controversial ideas and methods, so I'm not going to get into math and language arts right now. :lol: I tend to go vintage and back-to-basics and Amish, with a SLOW and steady schedule.

 

For science you might like Evan-Moor Daily Science. It looks a bit cheesy, but is an AWESOME spine, that is effortless to supplement with library books.

 

It really is fun to start over with so many lessons learned from the first try.

[walkermamaof4]

I really like Sticking Figuring as well - it is by Grapevine.

 

I like Math Mammoth.

 

And I think MCT is the bomb when it comes to someone who has figured out how to teach grammar and language as a beautiful thing, not just something we have to learn.

 

We like Apologia for Science.

[nansk]

Can't help you with choosing Science or Bible. I have Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, but haven't started it with dd yet. I have read good reviews of R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey, but, just fyi, it is a secular curriculum. Another option to consider is Elemental Science.

 

For Phonics, I highly recommend Word Mastery. Memoria Press has re-packaged it in workbook format as Classical Phonics, but the free version I linked to is in a font big enough to be read off the screen or paper.

[Susie in MS]

I don't know if I can help much, but I thought I would mention the difference between CKE and Apologia (you may already know). Where Apologia goes in depth with each topic and subtopic, CKE covers the surface. It is designed so that you go deeper with library books. Thought I would bring that up in case gathering up books would not fit in your schedule. Both would be great for notebooking though. Your youngest would probably grasp CKE better than Apologia.

[Chris in VA]

I wish I were in your shoes! The early-mid primary grades are my favorite. :D

 

For Bible, I really liked Positive Action For Christ. I've only used 4th grade, but everything looks really good. It's a combo of workbook, reading from the Bible, and activities and songs.

 

I wouldn't really bother with figurative language and literary elements at all in this stage. That's more of a logic stage goal, imo. But you could certainly point out those things in your read alouds, perhaps as part of a summary of "what we read yesterday" or something.

 

For phonics, it would depend on the level you are teaching. I really loved Adventures in Phonics, particularly the last parts of level C. It was pretty thorough and challenging--some was review, and some really made my dd think. For older kids, you could cover phonics in the spelling curriculum.

 

I'm not a fan of Apologia's elementary series, but we only did a few weeks of the zoology book, and my dd was too young. It was wordy and the two activities we did were not good for us. One had us talking about camouflage and coloring by hiding skittles in a laundry basket of torn up colored paper...:glare: But YMMV on that one.

[ereks mom]

Thank you all so much! Please keep the suggestions coming for Science, Reading/Phonics, and Bible, grades 2-4. I think I forgot to mention that I'll have girls only.

[ereks mom]

I've graduated 2 boys and now am tutoring LD and ESL adults that often need elementary level materials.

 

You might be interested in the Dear America series as a supplement or a cheaper replacement to American Girl.

 

Scholastic Dear America website.

 

Teacher Guide was on sale for $1 a couple weeks ago and might go on sale again.

 

You might like the Stick Figuring through the Bible. I've done pretty well just using the teacher guide 3-4 ebook for all levels. I have non writers just draw the figures.

 

I absolutely adore Spalding's Writing Road to Reading 6th edition cursive handwriting Instructions. I follow the order of instruction suggested in How to Tutor.

 

I start phonics/handwriting with How to Tutor and am experimenting with how to gradually transition to Spalding. The curriculums conflict a bit, but if I transition the phonics explanations at lesson 64, everything should be fine. And then just continue HTT as handwriting copywork and phonics reinforcement when it agrees. If you are teaching manuscript and are not going to teach cursive, you could just start with Spalding, or any other explicit phonics curriculum. I believe in cursive first, but it's tricky to accomplish, at least for me and the students I teach.

 

I tend to have some pretty controversial ideas and methods, so I'm not going to get into math and language arts right now. :lol: I tend to go vintage and back-to-basics and Amish, with a SLOW and steady schedule.

 

For science you might like Evan-Moor Daily Science. It looks a bit cheesy, but is an AWESOME spine, that is effortless to supplement with library books.

 

It really is fun to start over with so many lessons learned from the first try.

 

Thanks for the great suggestions! I did buy the Dear America Teaching Guide when it was on sale. However, I just LOVE the American Girls. I have all the books already, and I have access to the teaching guides and other materials, so I thnk I'm set for that. I had forgotten about Spalding, but I have Writing Road to Reading also, if needed for phonics. The school my girls will be coming from teaches cursive first, so they'll already know that. I will check into Evan-Moor Daily Science. I like a lot of their materials. I've heard of the Stick Figuring program, but haven't looked at it closely. Thanks!

Edited September 29, 2012 by ereks mom

[ereks mom]

I don't know if I can help much, but I thought I would mention the difference between CKE and Apologia (you may already know). Where Apologia goes in depth with each topic and subtopic, CKE covers the surface. It is designed so that you go deeper with library books. Thought I would bring that up in case gathering up books would not fit in your schedule. Both would be great for notebooking though. Your youngest would probably grasp CKE better than Apologia.

 

This is very helpful. Thanks!

[ereks mom]

I have read good reviews of R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey, but, just fyi, it is a secular curriculum.

 

I had not realized this. I was thinking it was Christian. Thanks.

[Hunter]

Thanks for the great suggestions! I did buy the Dear America Teaching Guide when it was on sale. However, I just LOVE the American Girls. I have all the books already, and I have access to the teaching guides and other materials, so I thnk I'm set for that. I had forgotten about Spalding, but I have Writing Road to Reading also, if needed for phonics. The school my girls will be coming from teaches cursive first, so they'll already know that. I will check into Evan-Moor Daily Science. I like a lot of their materials. I've heard of the Stick Figuring program, but haven't looked at it closely. Thanks!

 

Oh good, you still have leftovers and are getting well prepared students. I was envisioning a harder road for you.

 

There are so many options, and it sounds like you are prepared to be able to afford and use many of them.

 

I don't know. Narrow things down for us. State a problem or a priority.

[ereks mom]

I wish I were in your shoes! The early-mid primary grades are my favorite. :D

 

For Bible, I really liked Positive Action For Christ. I've only used 4th grade, but everything looks really good. It's a combo of workbook, reading from the Bible, and activities and songs.

 

I wouldn't really bother with figurative language and literary elements at all in this stage. That's more of a logic stage goal, imo. But you could certainly point out those things in your read alouds, perhaps as part of a summary of "what we read yesterday" or something.

 

For phonics, it would depend on the level you are teaching. I really loved Adventures in Phonics, particularly the last parts of level C. It was pretty thorough and challenging--some was review, and some really made my dd think. For older kids, you could cover phonics in the spelling curriculum.

 

I'm not a fan of Apologia's elementary series, but we only did a few weeks of the zoology book, and my dd was too young. It was wordy and the two activities we did were not good for us. One had us talking about camouflage and coloring by hiding skittles in a laundry basket of torn up colored paper...:glare: But YMMV on that one.

 

I haven't looked Positive Action for Christ or Adventures in Phonics before, so I'll look at those. I tend to agree about the Apologia. I love the high school series, but I'm not sold on the elementary books. I bought the Anatomy to use this year for a "light" middle school & high school health & physiology course, but I've been disappointed. It seems to be written in such a way that it's too "babyish" for older kids while at the same time too "meaty" to hold the attention of younger kids. So far, I'm not impressed. I hear this is the most difficult of the elementary books though. Maybe the others are better.

[ereks mom]

Oh good, you still have leftovers and are getting well prepared students. I was envisioning a harder road for you.

 

There are so many options, and it sounds like you are prepared to be able to afford and use many of them.

 

I don't know. Narrow things down for us. State a problem or a priority.

 

There are no problems that I know of; I just don't now what's out there for this age group any more, especially for science and reading, but also for Bible, so those would be my priorities. My youngest is in 12th grade, and the youngest student I currently have didn't come to me until 6th grade, so it's been 9 years since I had a 3rd grader! :)

[Hunter]

There are no problems that I know of; I just don't now what's out there for this age group any more, especially for science and reading, but also for Bible, so those would be my priorities. My youngest is in 12th grade, and the youngest student I currently have didn't come to me until 6th grade, so it's been 9 years since I had a 3rd grader! :)

 

You haven't missed much in my opinion. :lol: All my favorites have copyrights before 2000. In general, I am massively unimpressed with the newschool options.

 

You'll probably want to look at progym options. I still like the old college textbook Composition in the Classical Tradition, though, even if the examples are nasty.

 

You might want to get an old copy of Rebecca Rupp's The Complete Home Learning Source Book if you don't already have it. It's not that outdated and there is nothing newschool to compare to it.

 

You might want to take a look at the Amish Climbing to Good English, as a composition teacher resource even if you don't want to USE it with students. The handwritten letter instructions are the best I have seen. It's the only curriculum I know that teaches the post office's directions for addressing an envelope by hand.

 

I adore the spalding 6th edition cursive handwriting, but you will probably want to continue what the girl's have been learning.

 

Do you have Draw Write Now? A lot of people nowadays use it with the instructions in The Core to do continent blobs.